cardigan
noun
a usually collarless knitted sweater or jacket that opens down the front.
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cardigan
1 American
[kahr-di-guhn]
/ ˈkɑr dɪ gən /
noun
-
cardigans
plural
Cardigan
2
American
[kahr-di-guhn]
/ ˈkɑr dɪ gən /
Cardigan
1
British
/ ˈkɑːdɪɡən /
noun
Cardigan
2
British
/ ˈkɑːdɪɡən /
noun
cardigan
3
British
/ ˈkɑːdɪɡən /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cardigan
First recorded in 1865–70; named after J. T. Brudnell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797–1868), British cavalryman of Crimean War fame
Explanation
A cardigan is a sweater that opens in front. Your favorite cardigan might have pearl buttons and pockets. Unlike a sweater that you pull on over your head, a cardigan is shrugged on over the shoulders and buttons, zips, or snaps up the front — or is worn open, with no fasteners at all. During the Crimean War in the 1800s, English general James Thomas Brudenell's troops wore jackets that opened in front, and since he was the 7th Earl of Cardigan, these garments — and future open-front sweaters — were known as cardigans.
Vocabulary lists containing cardigan
You Name It: Eponyms
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The BFG
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Max Arias was decked out in a purple letterman’s cardigan emblazoned with “99,” for Service Employees International Union Local 99.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026
Wearing a pink dress and an oversize pink cardigan, Kaley G.M. told the jury that she started watching YouTube videos at age 6 and made an Instagram account at age 9.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Wednesday's Instagram post showed a picture of Van Der Beek wearing a white top and cardigan.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
Traitor Rachel opted for bright coloured knitwear in the final episode of the series too, wearing a £350 pink and red cardigan, also from Hope Macaulay.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
I’m still standing at the bureau, I’m still wearing Helen’s cardigan sweater.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
He says "a big splash of fame" highlighting how the area was mainly made up of independent shops had drawn people to Cardigan.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
When I arrived in Cardigan it was busy, but it is the official start of the tourism season with the Easter holidays well under way.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
The second part honors David Rhys Jones, a schoolteacher at Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi in Cardigan, Wales, who taught the study's lead author.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2026
At the highest end are boarding schools such as Cardigan Mountain, where repeating a grade for academic, emotional or other reasons has been common for decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
Mount must have divined my intentions, for he said, in his hearty, deep-chested voice, "You may say what you please here, Mr. Cardigan, and trust this gentleman from Maryland as you trust me, I hope."
From Cardigan by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers
Schur decided to drop her own line of cardigans, designed for the store by a local artisan and manufactured overseas, after tariffs doubled the price she would have had to charge to at least $160.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025
Her room echoed with signs of a life well lived - a proud career, foreign holidays with her loving family, an immaculately curated wardrobe of cashmere cardigans.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025
She wore dowdy skirts with equally drab cardigans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2024
In another box were donated cardigans, and packs of socks and underwear.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
My pearls, my belts, my cardigans, my off-the-rack dresses from J.Crew, my apparently brave choice of white for an inaugural gown—all seemed to trigger a slew of opinions and instant feedback.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
